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Jordan Morgan, OT, Arizona (Senior)

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Rayane M

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Strengths :

  • Good mobility
  • Run block is looking good
  • Solid on all types of blocks
  • Good vision
  • Fast hands
  • Good floor
  • Good against Power rushers

 

Weaknesses :

  • Fairly average footwork
  • Tendency to not finish blocks
  • Random hand placement
  • Poor blocking angles at the second level
  • May struggle against Tech Wide-9

TTProfil

 
Jordan Morgan, the offensive tackle from the Arizona Wildcats, is coming off a solid season and is determined to capitalize on it. With a good rating, which he further enhanced during the NFL Combine, Jordan is shaping up to be one of the promising prospects to be picked on draft night next April. But what is his real potential?

One of the first things to note about Jordan is his good mobility. Jordan moves well and with agility, he can easily climb to the second level and can be a real threat in screen pass situations, for example, because he can build up speed if the play takes some time to develop. Jordan really has the profile of a player who is sneaky fast because while he may be slow to accelerate and doesn't seem to be very explosive, he really has good speed once he gets going.
 
Another interesting point for Morgan in a vintage that aims to be elitist in certain technical aspects, but very Raw On other fronts, Jordan is a well-rounded and sturdy player on all types of blocks. He is proficient in both pass blocking and run blocking. While he may not necessarily be elite in either type of block, he shows great promise in situations of Run block Where I find he truly excels is in developing considerable power in his lower body, allowing him to generate significant movement through legs that remain highly active most of the time.
 
In terms of pass situations, Jordan notably excels in his ability to withstand charges from power rushers. While he may initially absorb the impact, he rarely finds himself significantly off-balance and manages to position himself effectively to block the defender. Although he may not exhibit true forms of anchoring to the ground during play, his capability to absorb these powerful charges suggests that with proper coaching, he could indeed develop a strong ability to anchor effectively for blocking.
 
Morgan also possesses good game vision, enabling him to quickly spot external threats. This is a notable strength.
He also has rather quick hands. While he punches very infrequently, perhaps even too infrequently for my taste, his hands are nonetheless swift and can react explosively when necessary.

Ultimately, Jordan is a player who truly has a solid foundation. His level of play is dependable, and he should easily secure at least a spot in a rotation without too much difficulty.

Let's talk about the weaknesses now, I find his Footwork to be rather average. Indeed, Jordan's footwork can sometimes be quite mediocre, whether it's in run blocking situations, where he might, for instance, find himself in a pulling situation and end up crossing his feet, or even in Pass pro where he can find himself on his heels by trying to go too fast. It's not very good.
In the scenario I just mentioned, it's often his outside foot that tends to end up flat, leaving him very vulnerable on that foot and his outer shoulder. This aspect could be exploited by NFL caliber Pass rushers to try to easily get past him. In either case, he could improve upon this and should make it a significant focus in his work once he turns pro.

I was also displeased with Jordan's tendency to not finish his blocks. Very often, at the end of a play, the player Jordan is supposed to block is no longer in his grasp because he either let them slip out of the block or simply failed to lock them down. Sometimes this can be quite troublesome, especially since on certain repetitions, the defender may even end up in a position to make a tackle if they execute a good pursuit. Jordan will need to work on this ability to completely remove his counterpart from the action altogether.

Jordan Morgan's hand placement is very inconsistent, and again, this is a point that bothers me. Sometimes it can be very good, and on the next play, quite ugly with hands that go straight for the back of the defender's shoulders. This is largely due to a tendency to engage the block with elbows pointed outward. While engaging the block like this certainly makes the job easier, it also makes holding penalties easier to spot. I don't know about you, but personally, I tend to see quite easily when an offensive lineman is literally hugging the defender.

If Jordan is rather adept against Power rushers in pass protection situations, he may struggle against Edge rushers who initiate their rush from a position Wide-9 and have an explosive first step (it should be noted that the Tech Wide-9 is the furthest position possible on the Line of Scrimmage. When you see an Edge rusher setting up well outside the Tackle or a TE, they're in Tech-9 Wide).
If Jordan struggles in this situation, it's partly due to what we discussed earlier regarding his Footwork in his Kick and Slide technique, which isn't exceptional. He lacks explosiveness and often plays with a flat foot, hindering his ability to be quick and agile.
 
And finally, if we've seen in the strengths section that Morgan shows promise in situations of Run block, we still need to discuss his blocking angles when he climbs to the second level, which are mediocre and sometimes outright poor. Once again, this is an aspect that can be worked on and quickly addressed with a good offensive line coach or with a seasoned veteran at the position who can provide helpful tips and techniques for improvement. It remains to be seen if Jordan will be able to iron out this minor flaw in order to maximize his potential as a Run blocker.
 

So, with Jordan Morgan, we have an interesting player who falls neither in the younger age bracket (let's say 22 years or younger) nor in the older one (the bracket of 24 years and above). At 23 years old (he'll be in his rookie season), he possesses a decent level of skill. I might even say that I find him occasionally quite solid despite a few areas needing improvement. Jordan also shows flashes at times that I really like. So, while his ceiling may not initially appear exceptional as a tackle, he could prove to be a truly solid option for the offensive line of your favorite team.
He's the kind of guy you know may never be an All-Pro, but who consistently starts games, does his job, and does it quite well. That being said, I'd love to see him take some reps as a Guard because his underrated mobility intrigues me a lot. You wouldn't think it when you watch him play, but he's capable of picking up quite a bit of speed despite a slow start, and his ability to read the game coupled with a really solid foundation in both run and pass blocking makes me think he could potentially have a higher ceiling as a Guard than as a Tackle. It's just a speculation, but I have this feeling about Morgan that tells me to try him inside on the OL.

In any case, I wouldn't have too much trouble selecting Jordan Morgan on the second day. While I believe he's behind other names at both the Tackle and Guard positions and may therefore slide, he could be a nice name to circle around the approach of the third round for any team looking to bolster its offensive line.
Whether it's to strengthen the interior, the exterior, or simply to add some depth to the OL, he's personally a player I like. If, for me, he clearly has the qualities to be a solid second-day draft pick, just know that if he falls to the third round, it becomes a no-brainer for day three.

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